Organ and tissue donation law in Scotland
Legislation to introduce an opt-out system of organ and tissue donation for Scotland was granted Royal Assent on 19th July 2019, giving formal confirmation that it will become law.
The opt-out system is not in force yet. There will be at least 12 months before the new system is introduced to ensure that people have information about the new system and what their choices are. The awareness raising campaign will be launching later this year.
Under the opt-out system, if an adult does not opt in or out of donation they may be deemed to have authorised donation for transplantation i.e. most adults in Scotland will be considered to be willing to donate their organs and tissue when they die, unless they have opted out or are in one of the groups that the law doesn’t apply to.
The Bill includes safeguards to ensure that donation will not go ahead where it would be against the person’s wishes.
We want everyone to decide whether or not they want to be a donor and to register their decision on the NHS Organ Donor Register.
Share your decision with your family too.
The opt-out system is not in force yet. There will be at least 12 months before the new system is introduced to ensure that people have information about the new system.
